New videos from Run The Jewels, James Blake, Migos, Gorillaz, all in one week? I don’t know what’s going on, but I like it. There’s a lot of stuff to unpack here so check out everything I rounded up below, along with my reactions.
Run The Jewels – Legend Has It
It’s no secret that Run The Jewels are one of my favorite duos in rap and Run The Jewels 3 was absolutely incredible. So of course their lead video would be no less spectacular. The video fully displays the creativity, charisma, and message they show on “Legend Has It” and RTJ3 as a whole. Killer Mike and El-P taking acid tabs before hitting a police line up could only lead to brilliance.
James Blake – My Willing Heart
James Blake is easily one of the most creatively gifted artists out there and the extremely cinematic The Colour in Anything cemented that in stone. He revisits that album with a video for one of my favorite tracks off the album. The video is in all black and white and is all about a very pregnant Natalie Portman. Not sure what the message is but it somehow perfectly captures the cinematic feel of his music.
Migos – What the Price
The Migos just hit us with one of the dopest hip-hop albums to drop in the first quarter of 2017 and love em or hate em, Culture is full of hits. “What The Price” was one of my favorite non “Bad and Boujee” songs of the tape so I’m not surprised to see it being pushed as the next single. Every rapper nowadays wants to be a rockstar so it’s no surprise to see them playing the part in the video. I got a hundred dollar bill that says they couldn’t name one Iron Maiden song.
NAV – Myself
Fresh off his self-titled debut tape, the OVO signee releases his first video from the project. I’m still not sold on him as an artist, but “Myself” was probably my favorite song off the tape and you can see the clear OVO influences in his music, all the way to the dark, muted music video.
Gorillaz – Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)
I’ve never gotten into the Gorillaz but I remember them being all the hype in my high school days, some 10 years back now. I thought they were a rock band but after the last few singles I’ve heard, I have no idea what genre I’d put them in; they seem to do what they like and there’s something refreshing about that. “Saturn Barz (Spirit House)” is a dope genre blend of a record and they’ve always delivered with the music videos, and this one is a (literal) trip.
Lecrae – Blessings
I’m not into Gospel rap, let’s just get that out the way, but Lecrae is dope and not just for a “religious” rapper. “Blessings” is a cool song that I could definitely see getting play on the radio and the fact that he could get Ty Dolla $ign (who’s literally on everything by the way) to tone it down for a feature is an accomplishment all in itself. The video looks like a scene pulled straight from Soul Food and that fits the song perfectly.
CyHi The Prynce – Legend
It looks like that CyHi debut album is a real thing that’ll finally see the light of day sooner than later. “Legend” is the second single to get a visual as he takes you through his neighborhood and delivers some fire verses. It’s clear he no longer has that Def Jam/G.O.O.D Music machine behind him but let’s hope that doesn’t affect the part that really matters, the music. So far I’m liking what I’m hearing.
Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa – Cell Ready
When one of my favorite rappers from college, Kush & OJ Wiz, teams up with my eternal motivation, Juicy J, they always come with the fire. I didn’t think this pairing would work as well as it has when he first signed to Taylor Gang, but man am I glad I was wrong. Their chemistry is evident and their back and forth flows are some of the best in rap. “Cell Ready” is a banger and I really needed it to be about two minutes longer. The video has them going full on Joker and burning a pile of cash because why not, rapper shit.
What’d you think about this week’s videos? Which ones were your favorites? Did I miss any that I should check out? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to stay up with all the new content.
